Do It All Yourself
You have one of these.
And you have something like this on your computer.
And you also have this on your computer.
And you know what buttons to push to make them do stuff.
You’re pretty much equipped to make a film.
But just because you can do it all yourself doesn’t mean you should do it all by yourself. Why?
It’s no mystery why filmmaking is a collaborative art. Because before the digital age no one person could do it all. It just wasn’t possible. But digital technology has made it possible. I have the ability to produce, write, shoot, edit, compose the music, do color correction, mix sound, and output A Life’s Work. But I don’t have the ability to do all of those things well. No one person does, despite the technological advances.
I’m a decent shooter, but nowhere as good as the cinematographers who worked on A Life’s Work. I’m not being modest. They are very good at what they do because that’s pretty much all they do. They have about 10,000 hours more experience than I do. Same for editors, same for sound guys, composers, etc. They bring fresh perspectives and ideas and that’s invaluable. And doesn’t your film, the subjects, and the audience deserve the best people you can get to work on it, even if that means it’s sometimes stalled?
Collaborating with people who have more experience than you do is not a sure-fire way to make a better film. Collaborations can be difficult and can lead to disaster. But I’ll bet even in that disaster you’d learn more than if you did it all yourself.
Filmmakers, do you agree? I’d love to hear what you think. And make sure to check out How Not to Make a Documentary, Lesson 1.